Виступ делегації України на брифінгу РБ ООН щодо співпраці між ООН та Африканським Союзом

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to thank You for convening this briefing. I would like also to welcome the briefers and thank the Secretary-General for his dedication to strengthening the UN-AU partnership.

Mr. President,

It is evident that over the past decade, especially over the past years, the role of the relevant regional arrangements in promoting peace and security has only expanded. ECOWAS’ engagement in the Gambian post electoral crisis is the most recent case in point. The decision of the interested countries on the establishment of the G5 Sahel Force represents yet another practical regional action.

The United Nations should continue working on building and enhancing its strategic partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations on the African continent, working in concert with them and using comparative advantages of each actor in peacekeeping and conflict management. In this light, we are encouraged by the recent increased efforts of the Secretary-General aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the UN and AU, particularly by signing the joint UN — AU Framework for Enhancing Partnership in Peace and Security. Ukraine is looking forward to translating this document into life.

Let me highlight several issues of the current UN-AU cooperation that are worth considering in the light of the relevant report of the Secretary-General.

First, the UN (we have to be honest with ourselves) is yet to succeed in taking timely and effective preventive measures in response to situations or tensions that could possibly transform into a full-scale conflict or where civil population are endangered and urgently require protection.

In this regard, we commend the efforts of the African Union, which should continue to act as a first responder to crises with the authorization by the Security Council.

Under such circumstances, it is important to continue efforts to eliminate shortcomings of the AU peace support operations, in particular capability gaps within uniformed personnel and equipment. We believe that ensuring deployment readiness and increased performance requires collective and coordinated actions by both the UN and the AU.

Second, it is crucial to ensure sustainable and predictable financing of the AU operations authorized by this Council. In this respect, the proposals presented in the Secretary-General’s report give the Council and the General Assembly a range of viable options for consideration. Given the complexity of the peacekeeping endeavour, we are convinced that there can be no single approach that will fit all situations and missions. We, therefore, support preserving maximum degree of flexibility while considering this issue for every single mission.

Third, it is well known that taking military measures countering terrorism falls under primary responsibility of national governments and relevant regional arrangements. Therefore, the UN should continue providing necessary advice and expertise in support of the relevant regional endeavors, such as just mentioned G5 Sahel Force. It is also important to ensure proper coordination between the UN missions and such initiatives in order to avoid overlapping.

And the last but not least. In keeping with the people-centered approach to the UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities, we believe that protection of civilians is a decisive factor for the success of the AU operations endorsed by this Council.

It is clear also that there can be no peace without human rights. Thus, this component should become an indispensable element of all AU operations, authorized by the Security Council, with proper adherence to the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.

Thank you, Mr. President.